Between Life and Death
by Dragoon Swordsman
Summary: An alternate end to Bleach, set shortly after the Fullbring arc and disregarding the Thousand Year Blood War except for some of the background. Ichigo/Rukia obviously, rated for some mild language. Now a collection, to be updated at random.
1. Ending and Beginning

The standard disclaimers apply

* * *

The Sokyoku Hill. In some ways, this was where everything began. Where he'd finally begun to master his true power, where the real enemy had at last revealed himself. Where so much had changed.

Kurosaki Ichigo was not usually one to dwell on the past, save for his mother's death, but that evening found him in a contemplative mood. Gazing up at Soul Society's night sky, his mind wandered back over the many battles he'd fought in the past two years, even as he wondered what the future would hold.

For the first time since his mother's death, he felt almost at peace.

A familiar presence nearby brought a smile to his normally forbidding visage. He wasn't the best at sensing others, but this reiatsu was as familiar to him as his own. "Over here, midget," he said.

Light footsteps approached him from behind. "I know; I could sense your reiatsu from Rukongai," his fiancee said, moving to stand next to him. "And how many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"About as many as I've told you not to call me Strawberry," Ichigo shot back, enjoying the familiar banter. "How did the lieutenants' meeting go?"

"Quite well, as I expected," Kuchiki Rukia said. "Renji of course already knew, and most of the others were pleased by the news. Kurotsuchi didn't really react, but she's hardly normal, and Omaeda threw a fit, saying a Kuchiki should marry another noble. Frankly, I think it was more because he still resents you; he's one of the lieutenants you disabled when you rescued me, the big oaf with the ball-and-chain zanpakuto."

Ichigo snorted. "Okay, now I remember. I punched right through his shikai."

"And that's why he resents you," Rukia said. "He's possibly the most prideful member of the Gotei 13, without Nii-sama's spirit."

"Or his skill; Byakuya gave me a hell of a fight." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "So what happened then?"

A devilish grin crossed Rukia's face. "He was still ranting when Kusajishi and Hinamori kicked him in the shins," she said, giggling. "Kusajishi reminded him that Captain Zaraki likes you, and Hinamori pointed out you're a noble yourself, even if you only found out a few days ago."

Ichigo threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Remind me to thank those two when I get the chance."

"Oh, that's not the best part," Rukia said, her grin widening. "That's when Renji and I told him we have my brother's approval, and if he wanted to take it up with the head of the Kuchiki Clan, he was welcome to try. His face went white enough for a Hollow mask."

No surprise there. Ichigo was, as far as he knew, one of a very few besides the other twelve captains who did not fear Kuchiki Byakuya. A dimwit like this Omaeda was unlikely to do _anything_ that might risk angering the noble captain.

"Your turn, Ichigo," Rukia said. "You had to meet with the captains, Shinigami Special Agent."

Ichigo rolled his eyes again at the cheesy title. Kuna Mashiro's idea, he was certain. It was just like her. "Started off rough, but that wasn't my fault," he added when Rukia gave him a very speaking look. "That freak Kurotsuchi wanted to personally examine Yuzu and Karin after Old Man Yamamoto said they'd have to be checked to see if they inherited Hollows like I did."

Rukia winced. If Ichigo had decided to activate his bankai over that, she wouldn't have blamed him. "I take it he backed off."

"After I told him if he touched my sisters I'd do to him what I did to Ulquiorra," Ichigo confirmed. "He believed me. Unohana and Hirako are going to take care of it."

One the captain of Fourth Division, the other the leader of the Visored and a personal friend of Ichigo. The Kurosaki girls would be in good hands with those two.

"Then the wedding business came up," Ichigo went on. "Kenpachi said it had better be a huge bash. Byakuya promptly went all Noble Kuchiki Head and said he'd cut Kenpachi up and feed him to the koi in the Kuchiki estate if he caused a ruckus."

"That does sound like Nii-sama," Rukia agreed. "He has his pride, and he wants me to be happy. Disrupting our wedding would hinder both goals."

Ichigo couldn't help smirking at the thought of the Kuchiki pride working in his favor for a change. Anything that made Zaraki Kenpachi less likely to challenge him to a duel was something he was in favor of.

"Dad went into one of his wacky modes –I am so _not_ surprised he and Kyoraku were drinking buddies when he was a captain– until I punched him in the face." He chuckled just a bit ruefully. "Toshiro said I could call him by name after that one, said he'd fantasized about doing that for twenty-five years."

Rukia laughed, leaning her head on his arm. "I am not surprised to hear he was every bit as insane when he was an active shinigami."

They stood like that for a while in silence, just gazing up at the night sky. It was remarkable, really, how well they fit together despite their vastly different origins and upbringing. How attached to each other they had grown despite their bickering, though Ishida Uryu would probably have said it was obvious, while muttering about the absurdity of it all.

"I finally understand," Rukia murmured. "Why you were never angry that I gave you my powers, and drew you into this world," she explained when he looked at her questioningly. "I wondered for so long, especially when Inoue was kidnapped."

Ichigo said nothing when she paused. This, he sensed, wasn't the time for wisecracking.

"Then I saw you after Aizen was sealed," she said. "How distraught you were, not only at our separation, but because you could no longer protect those important to you. Could no longer fight or even see the most basic Hollow. And then," she pressed a little closer, "you met Ginjo Kugo."

"That was a rough patch," Ichigo acknowledged. "Maybe I was crazy to be taken in by that bunch."

Rukia shook her head quickly. "It wasn't really your fault. You were at possibly your most vulnerable, and Ginjo knew it. But I knew." She smiled a little sadly. "I knew even then that he would never be able to turn you against us."

Ichigo took her hand, squeezed gently. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, midget."

She swatted him lightly with her free hand. "You're welcome, Strawberry." They shared a brief laugh. "It broke my heart, seeing you like that and not being able to do anything about it. I can't begin to tell you how relieved and happy I was, when the Commander-General gave the order to restore your powers."

She didn't need to. Ichigo remembered the look in her eyes when his spiritual perception was restored. And not just Rukia; he remembered the look of satisfaction on Byakuya's face as the noble captain watched him pound Ginjo into the ground.

"And now, after all that insanity, here we are, soon to be husband and wife." Rukia chuckled. "Fate, it seems, has a strange sense of humor."

"I'll say," Ichigo agreed. "Gonna be just about the craziest wedding in the history of the living world _or_ Soul Society. Seriously, every captain and lieutenant, a couple of seated officers here and there, a few retired shinigami, a Quincy, some of my normal classmates let in for the occasion, and a couple of _Arrancar_. How crazy is that?"

"No crazier than I am to marry you in the first place," Rukia said with a grin. They both laughed again.

It wouldn't be a normal marriage, they both knew that much. But what did it matter? Neither of them was normal to begin with. They would work through whatever issues came their way, and they wouldn't be alone. Not anymore.

"Ichigo," Rukia said quietly. "When we have our first child, if it is a boy, there is a specific name I have in mind, if that's all right."

He had a good idea of it. "Kaien?" Rukia's predecessor as Thirteenth Division lieutenant, and Ichigo's cousin, though he hadn't learned until decades after Shiba Kaien's death.

"Yes."

"That's fine," Ichigo said. He knew what it meant to her. "And if we have a girl, there's one I'd like."

She gave him a knowing look. "Masaki, of course."

He simply nodded. His mother was out there somewhere, in some form, or at least he still thought she was. But even if she wasn't, her memory would live on.

"Well," Rukia said more briskly, "as enjoyable as this is, there are some things I still need to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ichigo smiled. "Later, then." He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. ". . .I love you, midget."

She smiled back, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time. "I love you, too, you idiot."

They had no idea what the future would bring, but it didn't matter. They would face it head-on, together.

* * *

Author's note: I've never done anything in this section (I've had a more ambitious fic in the works for some time, though whether anything will come of it is anyone's guess), but something like this just demanded to be written after the insanity of the latest manga chapter. Even leaving aside my utter loathing for pairing Ichigo and Orihime to begin with, doing so after so much time with no real foreshadowing (the cringe-inducing, sappy "confession" scene doesn't cut it) is fantastically bad writing.

Anyway, I do hope this was at least acceptable. I _think_ I managed to keep them in character, though there is a bit of doubt on the last exchange. Could be worse, I guess. ~D.S.


	2. Routine

The standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo was having a bad day.

"You can't run forever, Ichigo!"

Make that an _extremely_ bad day. Oh, it had started well enough, simply a visit to his family in the living world. Unfortunately, as was the case on almost every supposedly peaceful occasion (his wedding ten years before being the main exception), it had gone downhill from there. First his father's antics, then getting almost electrocuted by his sister Karin's newly-achieved shikai.

 _She enjoyed that just a_ little _too much._

He'd hoped to have a chance to relax afterward. Alas, it was not to be; stepping out of the Senkaimon, he was confronted by the madly-grinning captain of the Eleventh Division, Zaraki Kenpachi. Which had immediately resulted in a chase through the Seireitei.

Ichigo knew his best chance was to simply get home. On their marriage, he and Rukia had moved into a kind of annex within the Kuchiki estate, and he knew his brother-in-law would take a dim view indeed of Zaraki's behavior. The trick was getting there.

 _This is seriously getting old!_ Grumbling to himself in exasperation, Ichigo decided it was time to _discourage_ his would-be opponent. His left hand came up, drawing his Hollow mask down over his face, then thrust behind him. "Cero!"

It was nowhere near full-strength, of course. Commander-General Yamamoto tended to be lenient when it came to Ichigo's efforts to escape, knowing Zaraki as he did, but a full power Cero would be a bit much. When tamped down, however, if it missed the green-black energy blast would do no more than minor damage to the surrounding buildings.

A booming laugh told him he'd badly miscalculated. "That's more like it, Ichigo!" Zaraki said. "It's no fun if you're holding back!"

 _Dammit!_ Home was still half a kilometer away, and all he'd done was _excite_ that madman of a captain. Gritting his teeth, Ichigo reached for the cloth-wrapped handle of Zangetsu. _Maybe a Getsuga Tensho_ _will teach him a lesson_.

Even as he wondered just how he was going to explain the resulting damage, not just to Yamamoto but to Byakuya and Captain Ukitake, relief came from another source. "Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro! Bakudo 63, Sajou Sabaku! Bakudo 79, Kuyou Shibari!"

Zaraki Kenpachi was a captain of the Gotei 13, and thus wielded tremendous power. However, that power was almost entirely brute force; as Byakuya had rather caustically noted more than once, the man was a brawler and a barbarian. Thus the impeccably-laid kido trap caught him completely by surprise.

Skidding to a stop around the next corner, breathing heavily, Ichigo offered a tired smile for his rescuer, his favorite lieutenant after Rukia and Renji. "Thanks, Momo," he said. "I owe you one."

Petite, dark-haired Hinamori Momo smiled back. "Happy to help," she said. "I knew what was happening when I sensed Captain Zaraki's reiatsu flaring."

Ichigo leaned heavily against a wall. "You sure you won't get in trouble?"

"Everyone in the Seireitei knows Captain Zaraki is obsessed with you," Momo pointed out. "I'll be all right."

She'd come a long way, Ichigo reflected, from the naive girl who practically worshiped Aizen Sosuke. "Thanks again," he said, his wind now back.

"Don't mention it. Say hi to Rukia and the twins for me." With a slight bow, Momo vanished in a burst of shunpo.

 _Can't blame her for making tracks. Maybe she won't be in for official trouble, but Kenpachi ain't gonna be happy._ Ichigo shook his head. To think this had become _routine_.

* * *

Ichigo's mood immediately lightened when he stepped through the door. Being half-tackled by a dark-haired shinigami who somehow managed to generate more kinetic energy than her size should have allowed tended to have that effect.

"Welcome home, Ichigo," Rukia said, releasing him. "Judging by the ozone smell, I presume your day didn't go according to plan."

He wearily sat next to her on the couch, nodding a greeting to Byakuya and Renji. They were frequent visitors, Byakuya especially, what with his weekly etiquette sessions with his niece and nephew. Ichigo had initially balked, until it was pointed out that they would need that knowledge in order to function among Soul Society's elite. That, combined with Byakuya's promise not to directly interfere with Ichigo and Rukia's parenting, had mollified the former substitute.

Besides, Kaien and Masaki loved their Uncle Byakuya.

"The smell is thanks to Karin," he grumbled. "She just got her shikai, and decided to test it on me. Lightning type."

Renji burst out laughing. "About time you were the target for once."

"What, 'cause I beat you within an inch of your life?" Ichigo said.

"That was before I got bankai," Renji shot back.

Ichigo snorted. "Yeah, sure. Mine's about a hundred times faster, remember?"

"Enough, both of you," Rukia said, unable to keep a smile off her face. "We detected a brief spike of Hollow reiatsu a few minutes ago. Was that you?"

Ichigo groaned. "That was me," he acknowledged, covering his face with one hand. "Ran into Kenpachi the moment I got back, and got chased halfway across the Seireitei. Finally tried a low-level Cero to make him back off, but it just made him more excited."

Byakuya paused in his lecture. "If it were anyone else, I would recommend disciplinary action," he said mildly. "Given your history with Zaraki, however, I can hardly blame you for such a maneuver." He lifted one elegant eyebrow. "That does raise the question of how you managed to escape without leveling several buildings. Though I would hardly classify you as an Eleventh Division brawler, your methods tend not to be subtle."

He had a point. For all the extra speed his bankai gave him, and his knack for analyzing his opponent's moves, Ichigo's fighting style was about as subtle as a flaming chainsaw. Oversized zanpakuto, Getsuga Tensho, Cero, all pure destructive force. Always applied very precisely, of course, but his opponents tended to end up unconscious or dead before they realized that.

"Momo showed up, and caught Kenpachi in a nice little kido trap," Ichigo explained. "Gave me just the breathing space I needed. She says hi, by the way," he added to Rukia.

"If anyone can do it, she can," Renji agreed. "Not many can beat her at kido."

Finally relaxing, Ichigo leaned back on the couch. It still amazed him, the turn his life had taken since the night Rukia had appeared in his room. Back then he was a mere high school student, albeit one who could see ghosts. Now he was a powerful shinigami, married to a lieutenant who happened to be a noble, and father of two.

Rukia hadn't changed much in those years. She was a bit taller, her figure had filled out a little, and she wore her hair longer, but the look in her large violet eyes was the same. Lieutenant or not, bankai or no, she was still the same midget who'd irrevocably changed his life.

The twins, seated at their uncle's feet, were the most tangible proof. Aside from her eyes, inherited from Ichigo, Masaki strongly resembled her mother, petite, pale-skinned, black-haired. Same hint of mischief, too; Ichigo had once caught her playing a prank on their cousin Shiba Ganju. Not that he'd interfered; Ganju deserved it, in his opinion.

Kaien's hair was equally dark, and spiked like Ichigo's; his eyes were the same violet as Rukia's. Even at nine years old, he was proving to be a studious sort, though still as energetic as a normal boy his age. He'd already declared his intention to join the Gotei 13 when he was old enough, to live up the name he'd been given. It had brought Rukia to tears.

Kuchiki Byakuya, Ichigo's brother-in-law, had unsurprisingly changed little. He was more relaxed, though very few would have noticed, and no longer bristled when Ichigo called him by name. To the surprise of everyone save Rukia, he was very fond of his niece and nephew.

Renji was still Renji. Briefly an enemy, now one of Ichigo's closest friends, no longer so fixated on surpassing Byakuya. He's been a major help integrating Ichigo into the Gotei 13's structure.

Ichigo himself was still much the same, even as a husband and father. There was but one truly significant change, which he still occasionally marveled at. Ten years of marriage to Kuchiki Rukia had done what many (notably his sister Karin) had considered impossible: his perpetual scowl, engraved on his face since his mother's death, had at last faded.

With the exception of his old friend Yamada Hanataro, Ichigo seldom associated with shinigami below the rank of third seat. Though some (notably Lieutenant Omaeda, who _still_ hated him) suggested it was because he thought himself too good for the rank and file, nothing was further from the truth. Younger shinigami had a marked tendency to genuflect when speaking with him, something he found intensely annoying.

At some point in his musings, Byakuya had apparently finished the week's lesson. "Done corrupting the kids, Byakuya?" Ichigo said.

The noble merely looked at him sidelong. "Have I mentioned what a relief it is that Kaien and Masaki take after Rukia?"

"Come on, I thought we buried the hatchet years ago," Ichigo protested.

"So we did," Byakuya said. "And I do not regret supporting you before the clan elders. However," there was the barest hint of dry humor in his voice, "I do not believe Soul Society could survive more than one of you at a time."

Ichigo joined in the resulting laughter. There was nothing malicious about Byakuya's comment, after all, and besides, it was true. After all, he'd turned everything upside down and inside out during his first visit. Two such beings probably would lead to some kind of catastrophe.

He smiled, feeling Rukia's head slowly lean into his shoulder. This was his life, now. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Author's note: Yeah, here's another one. I decided to leave things open, and add something if the mood strikes. One thing I wish to expand on in my previous explanation, with the manga ending, _especially_ pairing Ichigo and Orihime, Kubo committed one of the gravest sins possible for a writer: inconsistent characterization. Ichigo marrying Inoue Orihime is the molecular opposite of consistent characterization.

Anyway, I hope this passes muster., ~D.S.


End file.
